My Love for Music – Virginia Tech Athletics

I’ve always been a big believer in the importance of maintaining hobbies and interests outside of my sport. Having multiple passions has kept me grounded and allows me to have more balance in my life. While I’m a student-athlete playing volleyball at Virginia Tech, music has always been a huge part of my life.

I grew up in a musical family. My parents are professional musicians. They met working with the Nashville Symphony and have done concerts with Stevie Wonder and recorded for artists like Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift.

Needless to say, I grew up with music all around me — and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t influence me to become the musician I am today. I’ve been doing music since a very young age, but when I started playing around in a makeshift studio in my house during COVID, I had no idea where it would take me. But from that moment on, music has become a big part of my life and a big complement to — and sometimes also escape from — school, athletics, and life in general.

A New Hobby

When I was 12, I picked up a volleyball for the first time, and I fell in love with the game. At the time, my parents were a little surprised at my newfound obsession with volleyball. After all, I come from a long line of musicians. I grew up listening to my parents play and talk about music all the time. I learned to play the piano and cello, and music became an even bigger part of my life.

But when volleyball entered the picture, I knew it was something I had to pursue. I joined a club team and started dedicating more and more time to the game. My love for the sport only grew as I got older, and I eventually committed to Virginia Tech before my junior year of high school — after COVID hit. All of a sudden, volleyball was put on hold, and I found myself with a lot of free time on my hands.

That’s when I came back to music. I have a small studio set up in my house, and I decided to start creating my own music. I’d always had a love for singing and songwriting, and I thought it would be fun to play around with creating my own songs. Little did I know that I was about to embark on a new journey that would forever change my life.

 

Finding My Sound

During COVID, I spent countless hours in my studio, working on different songs and experimenting with different sounds. I was amazed at how lost I could get in the music. I’d play around with different melodies and beats, and before I knew it, the entire day would be gone. It was a creative…